Designing Privacy into Online Products

Organizations and leaders seeking to assure the privacy of their customers should implement privacy by design in the development process, privacy lawyer Alan Friel says.

Privacy needn't be the default as organizations develop online products and services, but businesses should account for privacy as they prepare their offerings for the marketplace, Alan Friel, a partner in the law firm of Edwards Wildman Palmer, says in an interview with Information Security Media Group.

Friel, in the interview, discusses the March 26 report issued by the Federal Trade Commission on establishing an online privacy framework, and its implications for organizations seeking to adhere to the new standards [see FTC Proposes Online Privacy Framework].

Privacy by design, as defined by the FTC, refers to organizations building in consumers' privacy protections at every stage in developing their products, including reasonable security for consumer data, limited collection and retention of such data and reasonable procedures to promote data accuracy.

In the interview, Friel:

• Encourages clients to adopt layered privacy notices, especially for mobile apps, in which simple explanations are presented in short, easy-to-read text on consecutive screens.
• Explains why businesses should benefit from following the FTC privacy framework.
• Discusses the impact of the framework on businesses whether or not Congress codifies FTC standards in legislation presented in the report.

Friel is a partner in the intellectual property department of Edwards Wildman Palmer and chairs its media and technology licensing and transaction practice and counsels clients on the privacy, data security, technology, regulatory and intellectual property implications of using mobile, digital and social media.